Warp knitting machine



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WARP KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan; 15, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 In vcntor'ETEEL Aug. 4 1942. R. PEEL ETAL WARP KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13,1940 7 Shets-Sheet 7 Fig. 12.

| lllluv \yi M 83 5 a m w I 1 m. 9 m. 9 M I A770 NEYs Patented Aug. 4,1942 WARP KNITTING MACHINE Robert Peel, Gloucester, and John Lamb MurrayMorrison, Bristol, England, assignors to F. N, F. a Limited, Gloucester,England, a British com- Application January 13, 1940, Serial No. 313,788In Great Britain February 14, 1939 -22 Claims. 7 (Cl. 66-86) Thisinvention relates to warp knitting machines. Such machines may beprovided with needles arranged to co-operate with independent tonguesand such a needle comprises a tubular or grooved shank having a hook atone end, the tongue being arranged to move to and fro relatively to theneedle between a position in which the tip of the tongue covers theneedle hook and a position in which the tip of the tongue is withdrawninto the groove or bore in the shank. The

, relative movement is usually efiected by imparting to-and-fro movementboth to the needle and to the tongue. These elements may be mounted tomove in a vertical straight line path. In that event, the side of theneedle on which the tip arcuate in the planes of the hooks. In theseneedles, there is a tapered part Joining the main part of the shank tothe hook and, during each knitting cycle, the tapered part is passedthrough a loop of yarn, previously drawn by the hook, to enable theassociated tongue to pass through the loop from the position in which itis concealed in the shank groove or bore. When, however, the tongue iswithdrawn from the hook, yarn is laid over the front of the taperedpart. Then, as the tongue passes through the loop, the needle iswithdrawn to draw the newly laid yam into a loop which is pulled throughthe previous loop as the latter is cast 01! over the end of the hook,while the hook is closed by the tip of the tongue overlapping the hook.

Now the tension on the loop of yarn being cast off over the tongue maybe considerable and the tip of the tongue is unsupported between thetime when it begins to emerge'from the groove or bore in the shank andthe time when it overlaps the tip of the needle hook. Accordingly, ifthe tip of the tongue is thus unsupported when a loop is being cast off,the load due to' the yarn may bend the tip of the tongue to anundesirable extent. The result may then be that damage is :done by thetip of'the tongue colliding with the tip of the needle hook or that aflaw arises in the fabric due to the loop, which ought to be cast off,becoming caught on the tip of the needle hook or moving back into thehook.

' guides are arranged to pass between each pair of According to thepresent invention, therefore, a warp knitting machine is provided withmechanism for imparting to hook needles and to independent tongues,allocated respectively to the needles and arranged to cover the needlehooks when loops are cast off from the needles, to and fro motion suchthat the tongues undergo no substantial movement relatively to theneedles, while covering the needle hooks,'throughout a substantial partof each of those strokes of the needles, that result in the casting offof the loops.

Thus, the tongues are arranged to overlap the.

needles quite near the beginning of the needle strokes in which newloops are drawn, and remain overlapping, throughout the major parts ofthese strokes, until the previously drawn loops are cast off. Thetongues are, therefore, in position to be supported by the needle hooksso long as' the tongues are in contact with loops being cast off. Theabsence of substantial relative movement during this process, means thatmovement accompanied by substantial friction, due to the load of theyarn on the tongues, is avoided.

In a warp knitting machine, the threads are laid or lapped on theneedles by warp guides, and a warp guide in any one cycle of operationmay be caused to pass between a pair of needles to the back thereof.Very often, two or more warp needles from the back to the front, andthen the two warp guides are moved longitudinally in oppositedirectionsto lap their respective threads over different needles, or inthe'same direction.

In a straight warp knitting machine, as distinguished from a circularwarp knitting-machine, the two or more warp guides arranged to passbetween a given pair of needles are conveniently carried respectively bybars. Thus, each bar carries a row of warp guides, and to effect thelapping, it is convenient to swing each bar about a longitudinal axis tobring the associated warp guides from the back to the front of theneedles. Each bar is then moved longitudinally so that the warp guidespass across the fronts of the needles. Next, the bars are swung to bringthe warp guides from the front to the back of the needles. The two ormore warp guides passing between a pair of needles, follow one anotheras they pass the needles.

When two or more warp guides pass between a pair of needles, it has beenfound highly desirable for the warp guide eyes to traverse substantiallythe same path relatively to the needles. This enables the yarn to beaccurately laid on the needles. Furthermore, in warp knitting mameans ofeccentrics.

essential, to keep the inertia forces low while retaining suillcientstrength in the moving parts to resist deflection. Thus, those partsthat might otherwise give rise to undesirable high inertia forces ormoments must be given as much time as possible for their movements. Thetiming of the parts, therefore, is of extreme importance for itdetermines both the manner in which the knitting parts co-act and thenature of the inertia loads.

Accordingly the invention involves a warp knitting machine provided withmechanism for imparting to hook needles to-and-fro movement and withtongues allocated respectively to the needles and arranged to cover theneedle hooks when loops are cast oil from the needles, in which the saidto-and-fro movement includes a phase which is actually or substantiallya dwell extending over the period starting when the warp guides arepassing between the needles before lapping and ending when the warpguides are passing between the needles after lapping. The dwell occurswhen the needles are at the top of their stroke prior to drawing a newloop. The needles need not be quite stationary during the dwell but mayundergo slight movement. The

whole of the needle movement is arranged to take place so that theaccelerations are as small as possible consistent with the correctmotions for knitting, and may be such that the movement consists ofharmonic components which are not of high frequency in relation to themachine speed or include high frequency components of as small amplitudeas possible. found advantageous to arrange the driving mechanism for thetongues so that these remain substantially stationary, or move quiteslowly, while the warp guides lay the threads safely in the needle hookswithout contact with the tips of the tongues.

Ithas also been found practical for the tongue movement to include adwell, in this fashion,

when the needles are arranged to move to-andfro with simple harmonicmotion and without any marked dwell. Then, however, the needle strokemust be greater than in the case where provision is made for the needlesto dwell. In regard to this aspect of the invention, the mainconsideration is that the tips of the tongues shall remain concealedinthe needle shanks for a period starting when the newly formed loops arepassing up the last portions of the taperedparts I of the needles andending when the warp guides are passing between the needles afterlapping. The reason for this is that there are limits to the proportionof each knitting cycle that can be occupied by the lapping movement ofthe warp guides and in order to insure clear paths for the threads asthey are laid on the needles, the tips of the tongues should not justmomentarily be withdrawn into the needles shanks. The movements of thetongues may consist of harmonic components, with accelerations as smallas possible, which combine to give the necessary dwell.

The required movements can be imparted to th needles and tongues throughthe medium of cams. drive the needles or the tongues, when the movementsof these elements are to include phases which are actually orsubstantially dwells, by In that event, two or more eccentrics acting inparallel and running at different speeds are used to drivethe needles,and

It has also been However, it has been found possible to chines designedto run at very high speeds it is l a similar arrangement is used for thetongues.

These eccentric arrangements have certain ad-- vantages over cams inhigh speed knitting ma-. chines.

The high inertia forces of the assemblies impose such high loads uponthe cams that they must be constructed of high grade materials andsubmitted to intricate and special heat treatment to withstand the heavyloads put upon them. Very great care must be taken that the oil filmbetween cam and cam follower remains intact and force feed lubricationhas to be provided to ensure an adequate supply of oil. The accuracyrequired in the cams is such as to make the use of a cam and countercamarrangement inexpedient, and without such an arrangement the followersmust be held on the cams by springs.

When eccentrics are substituted for these cams, they can be manufacturedfrom ordinary mild steel, because. the inertia forces at high speed canbe distributed over the greater surface areas through the eccentricstraps. Splash lubrication may be used, and accurate production isneither difficult nor expensive.

A particular feature of the invention, consists in arranging the sinkersin a warp knitting machine to be operated by eccentrics acting inparallel and running at different speeds. It has been found that thesomewhat elaborate motion required for the sinkers can be impartedsimply and effectively by such an eccentric arrangement.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, some constructions in accordance therewith will nowbe described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through part of a warp knitting machine;

Figure 2 is a timing diagram showing the movements of the knittingelements in the machine,

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of parts for driving the knittingneedles in the machine;

Figure 4. is a sectional elevation of parts for driving the warp guidesin th machine;

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of sinker mechanism in the machine;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation on the line VIVI in Figure 12 of partof another warp knitting machine;

Figure 6A shows further details of the machine appearing in Figure 6.

Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of part of a third form of warpknitting machine;

Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 show modifications of certain parts appearing inFigure 6;

Figure 12 is a sectional front elevation of the right hand half of themachine appearing in Figure 6.

. The machine to be described with reference to Figures 1 to-5 has a rowof knitting needles I, Figure 1, which are carried vertically and sideby side by blocks 2. The latter are mounted side by side on a longneedle bar 3 to which they are secured by clamp plates 4. The needle bar3 is supported at points distributed along its length by members 5 atthe upper ends of vertical rods 6 which respectively extend upwards fromcasthe vertical movement is imparted by eccentrics 9 and I0 carried byshafts H and I2. The shafts l I and I2 arethe main driving shafts of themachine and, during the operation of the machine,

they rotate uniformly but the shaft I2 is drivenat twice the speed ofthe shaft H. These eccenaaeaaev 'of two parts lying respectivelyin frontof and behind the eccentric rods l5 and t and the rod 6 The throws ofthe eccentrics and their phase relationship is such that the needles 8move up and down in the manner shown by curve A in Figure 2. It will beseen that the needles rise smoothly to their uppermost positions andthat there is then a period in which the needles are substantiallystationary. The needles then descend smoothly. The period of dwellextends approximately between the instants occurring at 100 and 220 ineach knitting cycle of the machine. However, the needles move duringthis period of dwell upwards 0.02 inch and then move down 0.02 inch. Themachine being described is a 28 gauge machine (1. e. there are 28needles per inch length of the needle bar).

Each needle I has a tubular shank which is tapered at its upper end la.and merges into the needle hook .lb. The needles extend through theblocks 2 and a tongue 26 extends upwards into the shank of each needle.The tongues 2| are carried by blocks 22 secured to a long tongue bar 23by clamp plates 24. When it is desired to remove any one of the needleblocks 2 a nut 4a on bolt ib passing through a. clamp plate 4 andthrough the needle bar 3 is released to permit a spring 40 to urge theclamp plate upwards. If the clamp plate 24 is also released, the needleblock 2 with the associated tongue block 22can be removed from themachine for repair or replacement. It will be seen that the clamp platet is remotely operated by the actuation of the nut la. This is becausethe clamp plate 4 is in a somewhat inaccessible position.

The tongue bar 23 is mounted at the top of rods 25. There are as many ofthese rods 25 as there are rods 6 supporting the needle bar 3, and therods 25 pass respectively into the casings i. As viewed'in Figures 1 and3, each rod 25 lies behind the associated rod 6. The rods 25 areconstrained to move up and down in a vertical direction in the same wayasthe rods 6, and are driven by eccentrics on the shafts I! and i2. Themechanism connecting the eccentrics for driving the tongues 2| to therods 25 is similar to the mechanism connecting the rods to theeccentrics 9 and H]. The throws of the eccentrics associated with, thetongues and their phase relationship is such that the tongues move upand down in the manner shown by curve B in Figure 2. It will be seenthat the tongues remain substantially stationary during 'the first 60 ofthe period of needle dwell and then during the remaining 60 of thatperiod travel upwards a distance of about 0.14 inch.

It is during the period when the needles are substantially stationarythat threads are positioned in the needle hooks by the warp guides 26(Figure 1). There are two rows of these warp guides, the rows beingcarried respectively by guide bars 21. These guide bars are carried by ashaft 28 which is rocked to and fro about its axis. usual, can be movedlongitudinally to and fro relatively to the rock shaft 28. In each cycleof operation of the machine the warp guides 26 are first swung so as topass between .the needles from the backs to the fronts thereof. Figure 1Furthermore, the guide bars, as'is shows the warp guides in the courseof such movement. The leading warp guides pass between the needlessubstantially at the point a in curve C of Figure 2 which represents theswinging motion of the warp guides in each cycle of operation. As soonas the warp guides have passed between the needles they are movedlongitudinally so as to position the thread upon the fronts of theneedles. The longitudinal movement of the warp guides is represented bya curve D in Figure 2, and the warp guides pass across the fronts of theneedles between the instants c and :2. After this lapping has takenplace the warp guides are swungback from the fronts of the backs of theneedles, the leading warp guides passing between the needles in thevicinity of the instant b in Figure 2. The fact that the needles aresubstantiallystationary during this swinging operation of the warpguides enables the threads to be laid in precisely the requiredpositions relatively to the length of the needles. v

The timing of the needles and tongues, in addition to enabling the warpguides to pass between the needles in the desired paths relatively tothe needles, has further advantages in that it gives considerablelatitude in the timing of the other knitting parts. For example, theoscillation of the warp guides about the axis of the shaft 20 takesplace over a period of about 220 (between the instants 'e and Figure 2).If the needles did not dwell, this period would have to be shortenedconsiderably or the needle stroke increased substantially. The fact thatthe oscillation of the warp guides can take place over a period of about220 means that the inertia loads due to operating the warp guides, whenthe machine is running at very high speeds,

do not rise objectionably. It also means that the warp guides can beoscillated by multi-eccentric mechanism and the advantages inherent insuch mechanism can be obtained.

It will be appreciated that the period of a com- .plete oscillation ofthe warp guides, i. e. the

period between the points e and f (curve C) is substantially longer thanthe period during which the needles dwell, because the needles only haveto dwell between the time when the warp guides are passing between theneedles at the beginning of lapping and the time when the warp guidesare passing between the needles at the end of lapping, and the warpguides move some distance in their oscillation about the axis of theshaft 20 before reaching the backs of the needles and after passingbetween the needles in their return movement.

In the example being considered, the warp guides are oscillated throughthe medium of units each driven. by the pair of parallel horizontalshafts H and i2 (Figure 4). These shafts respectively carry eccentrices32 and 33. The eccentrics are respectively embraced by straps 34 and 35on eccentric rods 36 and 31. ,The upper ends of these eccentric rods arerespectively pivoted to the ends of a two-armed lever 38 pivoted at itsmid-point at 39 to a rocker 4-2 pivoted about afixed axis 4!. The rocker40 is connected to the rock shaft 28 through the medium of a linkpivoted at its upper end to an arm 42 (Figure l) rigid with the rockshaft 28.. The eccentrics and mechanism immediately associ 'atedtherewith are housed in a casing 43 and the link 4| passes withsubstantial clearance through an opening in the top of the casing. Toprevent dirt entering the casing a bellows connection 44 is providedbetween the link" and the opening. I

Because the eccentric 83 rotates at twice the speed of the eccentric 32and because of the phase relationship between and the throws of theeccentrics, the warp guides are oscillated in the manner shown by theaforementioned curve C in Figure 2, and it will be seen that, when thewarp guides have undergone the oscillation necessary for positioning thethreads in the needle hooks, the warp guides are inevitably moved backslightly towards the backs of the needles, the extremity of thisbackward movement being at the point g in curve C.

' Yet another advantage inherent in the timing of the needles andtongues is that the longitudinal movements of the warp guides across thefronts of the needles takes place in a period of 52 (1. e. the periodbetween the points and d), which is sufficient for the inertia loads, onthe mechanism for moving the guide bars longitudinally, to remain withinreasonable limits when the machine is operated at high speed.

The guide bars are moved longitudinally by pat- 'tem wheels actingagainst return springs. The

return longitudinal movements of the guide bars takes place between thepoints h and 2', curve D. After the threads have been posit oned in theneedle hooks the latter are moved downwards so as to draw loops in thethreads and, during this downward movement, the tips of the tonguesoverlap the tips of the needle hooks. Then the tongues move downwardssubstantially at the same speed as the needles, with the.

tongues still overlapping the needle hooks. This overlapping takesplace, as shown by the relationship of the curves A and B in Figure 2,be-

tween the instantsm and n. It is between these instants that the loopsdrawn in the previous cycle of operation of the machine are cast offover the tips of the tongues and the ends of the needles. Inthisconnection it will, of course, be understood that when the needlesmove upwards the loops drawn in the previous cycle pass over the taperedparts of the needle shanks so that the tongues can be projected throughthe loops.

It will have been appreciated from Figure 2 that the line A representsthe movement of the tip of each needle hook while the curve B representsthe movement of the tip of the associated tongue. It will be seen thatduring the period that the threads are being laid on the needles, thatis the period intervening between the instants a and b, the tongue isconcealed within the shank of the associated needle, and during themajor part of the downward stroke of the needle the tip of the tongue isoverlapping the tip of the needle so that the tip of the needle hooksupports the tongue while the loop is being cast off.

Itis during the casting off operation that thesinkers are operative andthe timing of the needles and tongues, as shown by the curves A andB,-provides considerable latitude for the timing of the sinkersenabling-these also to be driven by multi-eccentric mechanism. Suchmechanism is shown in Figure 5 and includes the shafts H and I2respectively carrying eccentrics 52 and 53. These eccentrics areembraced respectively by eccentric straps 54 and 55 on eccentric rods 56and 51. The upper ends of these eccentric rods are pivoted respectivelyat the ends of a two-armed lever 58 pivoted at 59 to a rocker 6U pivotedabout a fixed axis 6|. A link 62 connects the rocker 60 with an arm 63fixed to a rock shaft 94. The rock shaft 94 has arms 65 rigidly securedto it. Each arm 95 forms part of a Watts parallel motion linkageincluding a member 31 pivoted at 98 to the arm 65 and at 68 to the upperend of a link 89 pivoted at its lower end about a fixed axis I0. Theselinkages give straight line movement to sinkers 1| projecting parallelto each other from blocks 12 secured to a sinker bar 13 mounted at theends of the members 61. The location of the sinkers 1| relatively to theneedles I is indicated by chain lines in Figure 5. The eccentric 53 isrotated at twice the speed of the eccentric 52, the shafts II and I2being the main shafts of the machine. The sinkers move as shown by thecurve E in Figure 2.

Eccentric driving units for the sinkers (like the one shown in Figure 5which comprises a casing 14) may be distributed along the length of therock shaft 64 or one such unit may be mounted towards each end of therock shaft. Similarly, a unit such as that shown in Figure 4 may bemounted at each end of the rock shaft 28 for the guide bars. Thearrangement of the eccentrics to provide the motions shown in Fig. 2,the angular setting given for each eccentric being the angle between theupward vertical line through the centre of its shaft and the eccentricthrow measured in the direction of rotation of the shaft at the instantrepresented by 0 in Figure 2 is as follows:

The knitting elements in the machine shown in Figure 6 are timed tooperate substantially in accordance with Figure 2, but the dispositionof the driving mechanism for the knitting elements is somewhat differentfrom that in the machine described above. In Figures 3, 4 and 5 themechanisms for driving the needles, warp guides and sinkers are shownseparately but in Figure 6 these mechanisms are shown together so thattheir relative positions can be seen.

In the construction of Figures 6 and 12 there are parallel main drivingshafts 89 and 8| connected by gearing 82 (Figure 6) such that theshaftiil rotates at twice the speed of the shaft 89. These shaftsrespectively carry pairs of eccentrics such as 83 and 84 which impartto-andfro motion to pairs of eccentric rods such as 85 and 86. The upperends of such eccentric rods are pivoted respectivel at the ends of. atwoarmed such as lever 81 pivoted at its centre 88 to a rocker 89mounted to swing about a fixed axis 90. A link 9| connects this rocker89 to an arm 92 fixed to a rock shaft 93. The latter has an upwardlyextending arm 94 pivoted at 95 to a member 96 extending from the sinkerbar 91. The member 96 is also pivoted at 98 to a link 99, pivoted to themachine frame at I00. There are, of course, a number of arms 94distributed along the length of the rock shaft 93 (to support the sinkerbar 91 along its length) and another such arm 94a appears in Figure 12.This is similarly connected to the driving shafts 80 and 8| through themedium of an arm 92a, 9. link 9141, a rocker and down by mechanismsimilar to the mecha- 89a, pivoted at 8811 to a two-armed lever 8111,which is connected by a pair of connectingrods such as 85a to eccentrics83d and 84d on the shafts 80 and 8|. Along the length of the needle barIOI are distributed rods such as I02, which support the needle bar andwhich are constrained to move vertically by guides such as I03. At itslower end each ro'd I02 carries a two-armed lever 81d, similar to thelever 81, pivoted at its ends to eccentric rods such as 85a, similar tothe eccentric rods 85, 85, driven by a pair of eccentrics 83a and 840.respectively on-the shafts 80 and 8|. Similar driving mechanism isprovided for the tongues (see Figures 6A and 12), carried by the tonguebar I04, carried by rods such as I02a, similar to the rods I02. Eachsuchrod I02a is pivoted at 8812 to the centre of a similar to the lever 81.This lever is pivoted by connecting rods, such as 85band 851) (Figure6A), to a pair of eccentrics 83b and 84b respectively on the shafts 80and 8|. guides I05 are swung about the axis of a rock shaft I06 byfurther pairs of'eccentrics such as 830 and 840 (Figure 12) respectivelyon the shafts 80 and 8 I. centric rods such as 850 respectively to theopposite ends of a two-armed lever 01c, pivoted at its centre at 880 toa rocker I01, mounted to swing about a fixed axis I08 (Figure 6). A linkI09 connects the rocker I01 to an arm I08a fixed to the rock shaft I05.It will be seen in Figure 6 that the tongue bar I04 lies in front of theneedle bar IN, and that the latter lies in front of the sinker bar 91.Accordingly, in Figure 12 the tongue bar is shown broken away to uncoverthe needle bar IN, and the latter is also broken away to uncover thesinker bar 91.

Figure '1 shows a modified method of imparting the necessary to-and-fromotion to hook needles of the kind employed in the construction ofFigure 6. In-Figure '1 the motion of the needles is derived fromeccentrics H0 and 011 respectively mounted on shafts III being arrangedto rotate at twice the speed of the shaft III. The eccentrics H0 andH011 impart to-and-fro motion respectively to eccentric rods H3 and H4pivoted at their upper ends to the ends of a two-armed lever H5. Thelatter is pivoted at its centre both to a rocker II8 and to a link H1.The rocker H6 is mounted to swing about a fixed axis 8 and the upper endof the link 1 is pivoted to one end of a two-armed lever II9 mounted toswing about a fixed axis These eccentrics are connected by ec-'two-armed lever I38 and the ends of the lever I4I are pivotedretwo-armed lever 81b,

The warp and H2, the shaft II2 I20. The end of the lever H9 remote fromthe I link H1 is pivoted at I2I to a member I22 extendingdownwards fromthe needle bar I23. The lower end of the member I22 is pivoted at I24 toa link I25 which in turn is pivoted at I25 about a fixed axis. Owing'tothe fact that the perpendicular distance between the axes I20 and l2I isshorter than the perpendicular distance between the axes I24 and I26,the linkage including the member I22, the two-armed lever I I9 and thelink I25, provides a Watts parallel motion linkage, so that the needlesI21 move in a path which is substantially a straight line. Actually thelinkage is designed so that a straight line movement is imparted'to thelower ends of the needles at which the tongues I28 enter the needles.There are, of course, a number of members similar to the member I22distributed along the length. of the needle bar I23, and each of theseis associated with members similar to the lever H8, and with linkssimilar to the link I25- The associated tongues are carried by a barwhich is moved up nism shown in respect of the needles.

Figure 8 shows an alternative mechanism for driving the sinkers. In thisthe sinker bar I28 carriesmembers I30, each pivoted at I3I to a linkI32, which in turn is pivoted to the machine frame at I33. The memberI30 is pivoted also at I34 to an arm I35 fixed to a rock shaft I35, thelatter also'carries an arm I31 connected by a, link I38 to a rocker I39pivoted about a fixed axis I40. A

I is-pivoted at I42 to the rocker spectively to the upper ends ofeccentric rods I43 and I44. Straps at the lower ends of these eccentricrods embrace eccentrics I45 and I46 carried respectively by shafts I41and I48. The shaft I48 rotates at twice the speed of the shaft I41.

It is not essential that the sinker bar should be carried by a parallelmotion linkage or a parallelogram linkage, but the sinkers may bearranged to rock about an axis. Thus, in each of Figures 9, l0 and 11,the sinker bar I48 is carried by arms I50 secured to a rock shaft ISI.This rock shaft carries an arm (not shown) such as the arm I31 in Figure8 or the arm 82 in'Figure 6. This arm is connected to driving mechanismsuch as that shown in Figure 8 or in Figure 6.

We claim:

1. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of hookneedles mounted for toand-fro movement, a plurality of tongues allocatedrespectively to said needles and mounted for to-and-fro movementrelatively to said needles to cover and uncover the hooks thereof, aplurality of warp guides operative to lap threads on said needles,mechanism adapted to impart to said needles to-and-rfro motion includinga phase which is substantially a dwell and mechanism adapted to impartto saidtongues to-andfro motion including a phase which is substantiallya dwell, said dwells occurring while said warp guides lay threads onsaid needles.

2. In a warp knitting machine, in combination,a plurality of hookneedles mounted for toand-fro movement, a plurality of'tongues allocatedrespectively to said needles and mounted for to-and fro movementrelatively to said needles to cover and uncover the hooksthereof, aplurality of warp guides operative to lap threads on said needles, andmechanism, including a plurality of eccentrics acting in parallel andarranged to rotate at different speeds, connected to impart to saidneedles to-and-fro movement including a phase which is substantially adwell extending over. a period starting when said warp guides arepassing between said needles at the beginning of lapping and ending whensaid warp guides are passing between said needles at the end of lapping.

3. The invention of claim 2 in combination with mechanism, including aplurality of eccentrics acting in parallel and arranged to rotate atdifferent speeds, connected to impart to said tongues to-and-fro motionincluding a substantial dwell within said period of needle dwell.

4. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of hookneedles mounted for toand-fro motion, a plurality of tongues allocatedrespectively to said needles and mounted for toand-fro movementrelatively to said needles to cover and uncover the hooks thereof, aplurality of warp guides operative to lap threads on said needles, andmechanism, including two eccenof said eccentrics is rotated at twice thespeed of the other, to-and-fro motion including a phase I which issubstantially a dwell extending over a ping and ending when said warpguides are passing between said needles at the end of lapping.

5. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, two eccentricsrespectively mounted for rotation about parallel axes, two eccentricrods a1- located respectively to said eccentrics and each including aneccentric strap embracing its re,- spective eccentric, a lever pivotedat one point to one of said eccentric rods and at another point toanother'of said eccentric rods, and a needle rod mounted for straightline reciprocation, hook needles supported by said needle rod, thelatter being pivoted to said lever to receive therefrom, when one ofsaid eccentrics is rotated at twice the speed of the other, to-and-fromotion including a phase which is a substantial dwell.

6. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of hookneedles mounted for toand-fro movement, a plurality of tongues allocatedrespectively to said needles and mounted for to-and-fro movementrelatively to said needles, a plurality of warp guides mounted to swingto and fro about an axis, a rocker mountedto swing about a second axisand connected to said warp guides, two eccentrics, eccentric rodsallocated respectively to said eccentrics and each including aneccentric strap embracing its respective eccentric, a leverpivotedrespectively at two points to said eccentric rods and at anintermediate point to said rocker, whereby said warp guides are swungfirst from the backs of said needles to the fronts thereof and secondlyfrom the fronts thereof to the backs thereof, and

mechanism adapted to impart to said needles to-and-fro movementincluding a phase which is substantially a dwell extending between saidfirst and second swinging movements.

point to another of said eccentric rods. and a rocker pivoted to saidlever at a point between said two aforementioned points and operativelyconnected to said sinkers.

10. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of hookneedles mounted for toand-fro movement, a plurality of tongues allocatedrespectively to said needles to cover and uncover the hooks thereof, aplurality of warp guides operative to lap threads on said needles, andmechanism adapted to impart to said needles smooth to-and-fro movementsalternating with substantial phases which are substantially dwells, aplurality of sinkers mounted for to-and-fro movement,,and two eccentricsmounted to act in -ed for 'to-and-fro movement and allocatedrespectively tosaid needles to cover and uncover the hooks thereof, aplurality of warp guides operative to lap threads on said needles andmounted to swing to and fro about an axis in performing said lappingoperation, a plurality of sinkers mounted for to-and-fro movement, andfour mechanisms allocated respectively-to said 'needles, tongues, warpguides and sinkers to impart said to-and-fro movements thereto, eachsaid mechanism comprising a plurality of eccentrics mounted to act inparallel'and operative when rotating at different speeds.

12. In a warp knitting machine, in combina tion, a plurality of hookneedles mounted for toand-fro movement, a plurality of tongues mountedfor to-and-fro movement and allocated respectively to said needles tocover and uncover 7. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, aplurality of hook needles mounted for toand-fro movement, a plurality oftongues allocated respectively to said needles and mounted forto-and-fro movement relatively to said needles to cover and uncover thehooks thereof, a

plurality of warp guides mounted to swing about an axis and operativetolap threadson said needles, mechanism including two eccentrics acting inparallel and operative, when one eccentric is' rotating at twice thespeed of the other, to impart the swinging movements to said warpguidesin the thread lapping operation, and mechanism adapted to impartto said needles to-and-fro movement including a phase which issubstantially a dwell extending over the thread lapping operation.

8. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of sinkersmounted'for toandfro movement, and two eccentrics mounted to act inparallel and operatively connected to said sinkers to impart to same,when one said eccentric is rotating at twice the speed of other saideccentric, smoothto-and-fro movements 'alternating with relativelyprolonged periods of dwell.

9. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of sinkers,mounted for to-andfro movement, two eccentrics respectively mounted forrotation about parallel axes, eccentric rods allocated respectively tosaid eccentrics and each including a strap embracing its respectiveeccentric, a lever pivoted at one point to one of said eccentric rodsand at anotherthe hooks thereof, a plurality of warp guides operative tolap threads on said needles and mounted to swing to and fro about anaxis in performing said lapping operation, a plurality of sinkersmounted for to-and-fro movement, and four mechanisms allocatedrespectively to said needles,

tongues, warp guides and sinkers to impart said to-and-fro movementsthereto, each said mechanism'comprising two eccentrics mounted to rotateabout parallel axes and operative when one of said eccentrics is,'rotating at twice the speed of the other.

l3. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of needleblocks, a plurality of substantially vertical hook needles securedparallel to each other in each block, a needle bar mounted forto-and-fro movement in a substantially vertical direction, a detachableclamp plate operative to secure said blocks to the top of said needlebar, a member adapted to secure said clamp plate .upon said needleblocks and arranged to pass through said needle bar 'to a point wheresaid member is readily accessible,

a plurality of tongue blocks, a plurality of tongues secured parallel toeach other in each tongue block and allocated respectively to saidneedles,

a tongue bar mounted for to-and-fro movement,

and a second detachable clamp plate operative to secure said tongueblocks to said tongue bar.

14. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, aplurality of needleblocks, a plurality of substantially vertical hook needles securedparallel to each other in each-block and each said needle having'atubular shank, a pluralityof tongues respectively arranged to slide toand fro.

in said tubular shanks, a plurality of tongue blocks each carrying someof said tongues, a-needle bar, a detachable clamp plate operative tohold said needle blocks on top of said needle bar, a memberadapted tosecure said clamp plate upon said needle'bmcks and arranged to passsubstantially vertically through said needle bar to a point where it isreadily accessible and a second detachable clamp plate operative to holdsaid tongue blocks on said tongue bar.

15. In a warp knitting machine in combination, a plurality of hookneedles having tubular shanks, a plurality of tongues allocatedrespectively to the needles and operative to slide to and fro in saidshanks,.a plurality of warp guides mounted to swing to and fro betweenthe needles and operative to lap threads on same, means for moving saidtongues to and fro and means for moving said needles to and fro, saidtwo means being adapted to cause the tips of said tongues to overlap theneedle hooks and then to withdraw into said tubular shanks fora periodstarting when said guides are passing between said needles beforelapping and ending when said warp guides are passing between saidneedles after lapping.

16. In a warp knitting machine in combination 'a plurality of hookneedles having hollow shanks.

a bar carrying said needles, a plurality of tongues allocatedrespectively to said needles and mounted to slide to and fro in saidhollow shanks, a bar carrying said tongues, mechanism including twoeccentrics arranged to turn uniformly at different speeds for impartingto-and-fro motion to said needle bar and mechanism comprising two page,

at a third point to said arm and at a fourth point to swing about aseco'nd fixed axis,- the distance between said first and second pointsbeing greater than the distance between said third and fourth points, arocker, a link connecting said rocker and said lever, two eccentricsconnected to rotate at different speeds and eccentric rods respectivelyarranged to be moved to and fro by said eccentrics, said eccentric rodsbeing. operatively said hook needles to and fro.

19. In a warp knitting machine in combination a plurality of sinkersmounted for to-and-fro movement, two eccentrics mounted. to act inparallel and connected to rotate at different speeds,

- two eccentric rods respectively arranged to be moved to and fro bysaid eccentrics and mechanism interconnecting said eccentric rods andsaid sinkers to impart to same ,to-and-fro movement derived from saideccentrics.

20. In a warp knitting machine in combination sinkers mounted to rock toand fro about an axis, two eccentrics mounted to act in parallel, meansconnecting said eccentrics so that the latter rotate at differentspeeds, eccentric rods arranged "to be moved to and fro respectively bysaid ececcentrics arranged to turn uniformly at different speeds forimparting to-and-fro motion to said tongue bar.

17. In a warp knitting machine in combination a plurality of bookneedles having hollow shanks, a plurality of independent tonguesallocated respectively to said needles and mounted to undergo movementrelatively to same and mechanism for imparting to-and-fro motion to saidneedle bar including two eccentrics mounted to rotate uniformly atdifferent speeds, eccentric rods adapted to be moved to-and-frorespectively by said eccentrics, a link interconnecting said eccentricrods, said link being pivoted at a point intermediate to said rods to avertical pillar carrying at its upper end said needle bar.

18. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, a plurality of hookneedles, a bar carrying said needles, an arm fixed to said bar, a leverpivoted at one point to swing about a fixed axis and, at a second pointto said arm.

a link pivoted centrics and mechanism interconnecting said eccentricrods and said sinkers to impart to same swinging movement about saidaxis derived from said I eccentrics.

21. In a warp knitting machine in combination a plurality of sinkers,substantially parallel.

pivoted arms supporting said sinkers, two eccentrics connected to rotateat difierent speeds, eccentric rods arranged to be moved to and frorespectively by said eccentrics and mechanism interconnecting saideccentric rods and one of said arms to move that arm to and fro aboutits pivotal axis.

22. In a warp knitting machine in combination a plurality of hookneedles mounted to move forwards while threads are lapped on same andbackwards while loops are cast away from said needles, a plurality oftongues allocated respectively to said needles and mounted for to-andfromovement relatively to said needles to cover and uncover the hooksthereof and mechanism operative to impart to-and-fro motion to saidneedles and to said tongues such that said ROBERT PEEL. JOHN LAMB MURRAYMORRISON.

connected to said rocker to move same and

